Citizens Weigh In on State Redistricting

The House and Senate Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee held a listening session, to hear what citizens had to say about how the state will re-draw its district lines.

“It’s a very important process,” State Senator (R. Dist. 18) Cecil Staton says. “We only do it once every 10 years, and we want to get it right. And we want to hear from the people of Georgia.”

Constitutional law requires that every state re-draw its district lines, according to the census population. Citizens say, they want to be included in the process, and know what is going on with the changes.

Warner Robins resident, Ann MacKay says, she wants to see three things in this process; fairness, transparency, and equality.

“They should be open, they should communicate with us, and there should be some accountability. We need to know the process, what the principles are they are going to be using in the redistricting process. And we have to have some citizen input,” MacKay said.

State Representative Allen Peake (R. Dist. 137) says, listening sessions are a key part in this process.

“We want to make sure it’s fair, we want to make sure it’s transparent. And so we’re trying to get as much feedback as we can from citizens,” Peake said.

Georgia has seen more than an 18% increase in its total population from the last census, which means the state will go from having 13 Congressional Seats, to 14 Seats in Washington.

Peake and Staton say they do not know yet which district will pick up the extra seat, but the changes are good for the state.

“It means we’ll have more Representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives…it’s also important for the Electoral College, if you think about things like that. When we come to elect a new President, it means Georgia has more influence, more clout, and another vote in the Electoral College,” Staton says.